Missing
by Nova122
Summary: Maka has been gone for two years, and everyone thinks she's dead. Soul has been coping with his loss for the past two years, not allowing himself to believe she's alive. But she is. Rated T because I'm not 100% sure where I am going with this
1. She's been gone for two years

It was dark. For a moment that was all she could process. Then the pain came, and she wasn't able to process anything at all.

Soul sat alone, it was easier to think that way. Even now the thought twisted his face into a sardonic grin, him think? Oh, she would have laughed at that. And then the depression came back, but he had long gotten used to its presence, like a dulled lens that let him view life the way it should look. It was comforting in a way, knowing that her death made a difference, knowing that it changed something, that she didn't die for nothing, that he was paying the price.

"Yahoo!" he could hear the distant calls of (for whatever reason) his best friend and vaguely wondered if he should hide before deciding against it seeing as it would take too much effort.

"Soul my man, guess who your God beat today? What no idea? It's okay I forgive you, not everyone can know as much as me! Well Kid was..." After that Soul just kind of tuned him out, he was used to his ramblings and learned long ago how uncool it looked to start shouting at BlackStar to shut up. He leaned back for the long haul, watching the rambunctious little ninja animatedly tell a story about some basketball game or another.

When his thoughts drifted they always tended to drift towards her. Maka. She was his first partner, more than his best friend, his meister. And it had been his dut-

He quickly pulled away from that dark abyss, feeling his fingernails start to dig into his palms. 'Deep breaths' it was his new mantra. DWMA had a resident psychologist (of course), apparently he was some expert or another on trauma and loss, a war veteran himself, but all that skinny little bastard could come up with was, 'deep breaths Soul, whenever you feel the urge to start punishing yourself just take deep breaths.' Of course there had been other things as well, but that had stuck with him the most. Never more had there been a time when Soul had wanted to punch someone more.

Suddenly Soul phased back into the real world, the absence of sound shocking him as he turned to face BlackStar. "It's been two years man." He looked serious, which was becoming a more usual occurrence with him (Maka would have been surprised), but Soul had heard this conversation many times before. He knew all the right answers, knew exactly what to say to shut him up. But today he couldn't, not today, not so close to the anniversary.

Soul left, he wanted to shout, wanted to scream, wanted to break things. But he had done all that. So now he just left. BlackStar didn't follow him.

He went back home. He knew it was unhealthy, but he couldn't bring himself to leave the place that they had shared. Perhaps if he got a new meister. Immediately the thought made him cringe, his brain shouting at him, a small voice in the back of his head screamed betrayal. His fingernails started to dig into his palms again, 'deep breaths'. It would be okay, no matter how much Kid or Lord Death pressured him he would never take a new partner. Yet, he couldn't stop himself from looking around at the empty apartment, two years had changed it. He turned on the TV before taking a shower, listening to the voices in the next room while he cleaned away a day's worth of grime. He did his best from letting his thoughts wander this time.


	2. It's not about Maka

Maka dragged herself into a sitting position, her arms were sore, her legs were numb, but overall she felt okay, good almost. The thought made her laugh, looking at her surroundings she wondered how long she must have been here for her to have gotten used to it. How long…

The cell was dark, as there was no windows, but a small sliver of light crept in from under the door, and she could see just fine with that. In one corner she knew, though she didn't look towards it there were little lines where she had tried counting the days, but she had given up on that a long time ago. She lay down and stretched her feet out, marveling how they almost touched the wall; she'd been a lot shorter when she first came here. Clanging sounded outside and she tensed imperceptibly. She and the guards had a running joke, she would sneer and make witty comments about their size, state of clothing, or (her personal favorite) their likeness to the animal which they represented. And then they would withhold food, or take away her blanket, or other things…

The dog witch was especially fun to play with. It's rather easy to insult someone who is literally a bitch, and boy did she hate it when you called her that. Maka absentmindedly fingered the scarring on her left arm, her shoulders sagging against the stonework. Maybe she would just cooperate today.

The thought rang through her head, sending chills down her spine. Cooperate? How could she, after all they had done, her mind fought with itself, every scratch and bruise on her body burning as she tried to remain calm. She could feel herself losing control. The convulsions started again, and she squeezed her eyes shut as they racked her body. They passed soon, and she was back to staring at the wall. "I need to get out of here" she said it to no one in particular, but the idea sent fire down her veins. She was the only person who could get herself out of this place. Soul wasn't coming.

She brought her knees up to her head and stared at those little white scratches that marred the wall. "How long have I waited." Maka wondered to herself. She stiffened when she heard footsteps outside her door. She closed her eyes as light filled her little room, blinking and waiting for her vision to return. A tall, broad witch stood in the doorway, her short brown hair cropper army style. Her teeth gleamed as she sneered down on Maka. The bitch was back.

Soul sat at the window of a coffee shop again, it had become a habit after school since he didn't like heading home so quickly anymore. He had already chased away a few admirers, the thought making his lips turn up in a slight smile which almost immediately switched to a grimace. He brooded a bit more before the waiter brought out the same drink that he always had, a vanilla frappuccino with a healthy dose of cinnamon, Maka's favorite. He drank it slowly, watching the people outside the window. His friends used to come here with him often, giving each other knowing looks every time he ordered his drink. The visits started drop to every other day, till once a week, till almost not at all. So Soul sipped his coffee in silence, concentrating desperately on the people outside not allowing his thoughts to wander too far from what was in front of him.

It was when he was focusing particularly intently on one man's shoe buckles that Kid sat in the booth opposite him. Soul jumped nearly spilling his coffee, cursing Kid for making him look so totally uncool.

"Soul, I think we need to talk." Kid was calm, his gaze steady, lately he had been more focused, less prone to panic attacks, Soul supposed it was because he had been forced to take over as leader, but he didn't let himself dwell on the thought.

"Not you too Kid, BlackStar already tried this week." Soul gave him one of his practiced grins, both mocking a nonchalant, perfect for any social situation; it was a smile that practically screamed 'I'm over that shit'.

"It's not about Maka" Soul stopped himself from flinching. Barely. "Father thinks you shoul get a new partner."

Soul stood up and started to storm out of the shop, carefully counting breathes as he averted his eyes from everyone who was currently staring at him.

"I know Soul! I told him no, don't worry, wait up!"

Soul turned to face Kid once more, determined not to lose his cool, 'breathe in… 1,2,3,4,5…breathe out.' All he had left was his cool.

"I told him not to suggest it, that it's not going to happen"

"damn right it's not" He said between breathes.

"So I want you to come with me and the twins on a mission, you can fight by yourself after all."

Soul stopped his count for a moment. Go on a mission, fight kishin again, get out of this rut. Without Maka. He took up his count again with renewed fervor. Kid saw the look in his eyes and smartly backed off, leading him to a park bench where Soul could work things out in peace.

The idea thrashed around his mind leaving disarray everywhere it went, 'she would want me to, I could save lives. But do you want to do it without Maka? Would it be okay to go back as though nothing had happened. But, but, but.' It had been a long time before anything had been said between the two boys, and finally Soul broke the silence, "I'll think about it"

"I think you've done far too much thinking to be honest."

Soul bit his lip, his serrated teeth puncturing the skin. His mind was such a mess, so many thoughts he'd long ago repressed now came flooding back, and in that moment he remembered Maka. Not as she had been in those final moments, but as she had been the whole time he had known her. It had been a while since he had seen he like that.

"Yeah Kid, okay."

Kid looked startled for a second before allowing himself a small smile, "Thanks Soul." He said. He patted him on the back before getting up. He paused before leaving, clearly worried about his friend who looked so beaten down on that park bench. But Soul waved him off and flashed him another one of those placid smiles, and then he was gone.

Soul leaned his head back, and let himself say the name of his meister for the first time since that night so many years ago when she had lain broken on the battlefield, "Maka."


	3. nice weather we're having today

Soul was rigid throughout the whole drive. Kid had decided on a mission that was relatively near DWMA, but when you live in the middle of a desert there isn't much within walking distance. He couldn't quite believe what he was doing; he was going on a mission, without Maka. It was taking all his willpower not to jump out of the moving van, and from the looks passing between the Thompson sisters he wasn't doing a very good job hiding it. Yet a small part of him was saying, _finally. _

The conversation in the van was tense, as everyone, even the driver offered a few words in hopes of distracting Soul from the passing scenery. "So….nice weather we're having today?" Liz cringed even while saying it, and Soul couldn't help the slight smile that tickled his lips.

"So we finally reached that stage huh" He turned to look at the rest of his team members, and suddenly the tension dissolved. No one said anything, but Kid patted him on the shoulder.

Conversation returned to normal, and though he only commented when spoken to directly no one bothered him about it as he lazed against the seat fiddling with the hairband that he always kept on his wrist. It was a comfortable ride. It was strange, but it was nice.

Maka cringed as the bitch forced the manacles on her wrist, cutting once again into the already scarred flesh of her wrists. "Do we really still need to play these games, it has been two years."

The dog didn't answer just smiled as she forced her down the hallway. "Hopefully we won't have to do this much longer" Maka stopped a shiver. She was used to these threats, used to their games. But there was something about her voice…

She stopped thinking about it. It had been a long time since they had called her out of her little cell. When she had first come here these trips had been daily, it had become routine, but two years was a long time to force someone to crack and the last time she had been taken out of her cell was…. A few weeks? A month? More? She didn't know. Time was a strange concept. It could be any hour of the day, and month of the year. She was pretty sure about the year, but not always and she had long ago lost track of how long she had been here. The thought of how much time had been wasted made her head spin. So she tended not to think about it, but she was alone a lot (obviously) and alone in the dark was not a good place to be when you didn't want to think about something. She had tried to calculate it once, carved little equations into her walls, but that had been a stupid idea for the number was far too big. She couldn't have been waiting that long.

"Here we are, have fun" Maka was lead into a small room with only a chair and a table. There were two doors one on each side of the room. It looked like something out of a cop drama, though she doubted anything they would be doing here was legal. The door slammed behind her shaking the one way glass. It had been a long time since Maka had seen her reflection, and she was fascinated.

She was grime covered, that was more or less a given, her hair had been cut off when she first came here, but not it grew at odd lengths covering her face in a gray tuft of dust covered locks. She wore standard prisoner stuff, a bright orange jumpsuit that made her skin look a ghastly shade of white. Puckered scars stood out on her wrists and ankles, dried blood coating bits of her clothing from who knows when. Her mouth was still the same, puckered and disapproving. She tried to smooth it out, tried on a smile, probably looking ridiculous to the person who was behind the glass. After a while she gave up and just stared at herself. At her eyes that looked like her dads… Grief hits at odd moments. And she thought that she had gotten over it a long time ago. She sat down in the chair and curled in on herself. She didn't cry, couldn't, hadn't been able to for a long time. But she let the sorrow wash over her like a wave, and just as quickly it flowed away.

Relaxing her body Maka closed her eyes and leaned back against the chair. She realized how tired she was. Contrary to popular belief it wasn't easy to sleep in a prison. So, in a very un-Maka like manner, she crawled under the table and fell asleep.

"I hope those damn scientists have no idea what this means." Thought Maka, just before drifting away.


	4. do something scythe boy!

Las Vegas : City of Sin. Soul couldn't quite believe how much went on in this place. It was the dead of night yet still people lumbered about, the drunk and newly broke mingled with the lucky, men who looked like they just stepped off of one of the many billboards lining the street greeted you at every street corner. Cars rushed past him on one side and people on the other. He wasn't surprised that so many people were attracted to such easy pickings, and he had no idea how he was supposed to find one stupid kishin among all these people. Kid patrolled from the sky with patty as he walked the streets with Liz. People glared at them as no matter which way they went they seemed to move against the flow of the crowd and Soul could practically hear Liz's growing rage.

"Maybe we should try a side street" Soul said turning around. Liz merely ground her teeth in frustration, took him by the arm, and nearly pushed some poor passerby into traffic before leading Soul into a thankfully quite alleyway.

"It's impossible! We'll never find that stupid monster with all these people around!" She was pacing in a tight circle, her high heels echoing in the confined space. Soul smiled to himself, reminded of how adorably angry Maka used to get before she had learned to use her soul perception. Of course Soul had never helped with the problem, often added to her frustration, but that was the beauty of their friendship.

Was the beauty of their friendship.

The mood suddenly turned sour and Soul leaned back against the wall, waiting for Liz to finish her rant. At least he had thought it was a wall. It is not the best feeling when you fall against something and it goes 'squish'.

The Kishin peeled away from the wall, it's long flat body perfectly camouflaged to the brickwork. It was a mass of shifting colors, and Soul could feel himself getting queasy as the creature moved forward. It didn't appear to have eyes, or a head for that matter, but Soul knew it could see him, that it was looking at him. The sudden urge to start running away filled him, he stepped backward, nearly crashing into Liz. A look passed between them, "Well do something scythe boy!"

The silence was broken, the kishin charged, and the two weapons barely managed to dodge as it barreled towards them. Soul grinned as he felt his skin become cool metal, and ran towards the monster. It didn't turn to face him, merely switching directions, and what apparently wasn't it's back came charging forward to meet him. His blade met with the malleable flesh of the beast, slicing through air as the Kishin spilt its skin to dodge the blade, ducked under his arm and pummeled him in the chest. As he hit the wall behind him Soul couldn't help but think, 'Man it has been a long time since I've done this.'

Liz charged forward, and hit the beast from an angle (since apparently it didn't have a behind). It lunged at her, one tentacle of flesh rushing out, but Liz sidestepped it and punched it in the gut. And then of course immediately started screaming as her hand came away covered in goo.

"Ew, ew, ew, ew! I am not fighting that thing! You do it! You're the one with a weapon!" He watched the thing condense in on itself. Gathering for its next attack. Soul prepared himself, holding his weapon hand in front of him, lowering his center of gravity. Already his mind was formulating his next attack. Maka may have been the smart one, but Soul had always been the strategist. Of course Maka would have beaten this thin- Soul cut himself off. Now wasn't the time.

The kishin had good defenses, but it relied too heavily on the intangibleness of its body. Clearly it didn't have much actually skill, and if Soul could get one good hit to the body like Liz… Well he it may have been a while since his last fight, but apparently he hadn't quite yet forgotten all those lessons drilled into him by Sid and Doctor Stein. Soul rushed forward once more, this time faster, aiming straight for the heart of the beast. Predictably the thing shot out, this time sending out multiple tentacles. Soul ran through them as they zeroed in. Waving his blade at anything that came too close. He rammed his blade into the center of the kishin, which of course formed a hole around the puncture sight. Soul eas surrounded, spikes on all side of him, the thing nearly engulfing him. Which was why it was relatively easy to start hacking at it.

The thing bled. And screamed. But Soul only paused for a moment before finishing it off. The blood condensed into a gleaming red soul. He looked over at Liz who merely gestured for him to take it.

He'd forgotten the taste. Suddenly everything caught up with him, everything that he had done, he could feel the wet stickiness of blood on his clothes and all he wanted to do at that moment was take a shower. How had Maka done this?

He was too exhausted to think, which was a refreshing change. Liz led him back to the Hotel, taking only back roads, avoiding people as much as they could, and somehow managing to show people their shibusen badges before anyone called the police. Kid waited for them at the front desk, and led Soul to their shared room. Soul took a quick shower before collapsing in the bed. Slowly he drifted away.


	5. Good job with the Kishin

The world swirled for a moment and then cleared. The room was exactly like she remembered it, the black seeming to blend into the red, creating the illusion of darkness though the room was brightly lit. A piano sat in the corner and Maka walked up to it, softly touching one dusty key. Its note rang through the room, echoing off the walls and piercing her soul.

She came here often, never on purpose, but once she was here she was always awake… in a sense anyways. At least it never felt like a dream. Once Maka had thought that this was proof that Soul must be alive, she had clung to the proof. She knew some part of her still thought that, but she never talked to that part of her so it was okay.

She remembered him perfectly, every hair in its strategically messy place, his mouth stretched into that special smile that he would never think cool enough to show to anyone but her. "Maka" he whispered it almost reverently, it had been a while since she had seen him. Her heart ached, it always felt so real. Of course she would have been perfectly content to just stare her body moved on its own, she moved away from the piano into a doorway, gloved hands crossing.

"I heard most of the story." She heard herself say it, but she wasn't paying any attention having lived this memory many times before.

The two bickered, the little ogre speaking somewhere out of sight, though she knew he had been here at the time, for some reason others never showed up in these little concoctions of her imagination.

"5, 6, 7, 8" The little ogre counted off the beat she twirled in Soul's arms. She looked at him, wondering if he had always been this tall, or if somehow her subconscious had given him the growth spurt that he had always wanted. She decided that she needed to stop thinking, and she enjoyed the moment. The memory stopped, as it always did just as the dance ended. The two froze, and Soul leaned down and looked Maka in the eye.

"I miss you so much."

The dream dissolved and Maka was thrown into a nightmare of darkness and confusion, half formed Kishin and crowds of people illuminated harshly by neon signs. The world tilted and she found Maka found herself drowning in black blood. She panicked immediately thrashing about. Her mouth filed with the thick coppery liquid and she chocked, pain filling her vision. 'Am I really dreaming?'

Soul woke with a start grabbing his throat. He turned around frantically unfamiliar with his surroundings, the sight of Kid starting to stir in the bed next to him calmed him down and gradually he slowed his breathing. He hated those dreams.

Almost immediately he regretted thinking it in case they stopped. But they always felt so real. He curled in on himself, squishing up against the backboard. Both worried that Kid would wake up and see him and too tired to care. He thought about taking a shower, but almost immediately decided against it, not wanting to risk the questions he would be asked as to why he'd decided 2 in the morning was the best time to clean himself. He glanced back at the clock a second time, groaning inwardly as he fully registered the display. He flopped back into bed blaming the change in his surroundings for the strange dreams.

The darkness in the room pressed against him. There's something about lying in the dark that allows you to think about the scariest things you can imagine, as though all those monsters hiding in the dark are really just the secrets you store there. He breathed out her name, gently, testing it. It felt good to say it. Of course those stupid words decided to drift through his mind at that exact moment, 'was it time to move on?' He'd never really understood it. He thought he'd done pretty well, things had gotten pretty darn close to normal. But should normal be an option now? And was what he was doing normal? He pulled that dam hair tie off his wrist and held it up, staring at it and wondering what made it so special. He knew the answer of course, could picture her wearing it quite clearly in his mind, but still.

He put it back onto his wrist and indulged himself with mindless questions for a bit, ending on the decidedly sour note of, 'I was her weapon'. He breathed out through clenched teeth.

He'd protected Liz today. The thought was brief, but it woke him up a bit. He'd killed a kishin. And suddenly it dawned on him, he killed a kishin. Without Maka. The thought thrilled him, yet he could feel it. An oncoming panic attack as he wondered how he'd done it without her. If he could do other things without her, if somehow he hadn't thought she was important enough. If somehow he'd be able to move on. His nails were digging into his palms, though he'd learned to keep them short, he pulled his knees close once more and moved into the corner of his bed, where the headboard met the wall.

Shivers racked his body and so did thoughts as he pushed through this one. Kid woke up eventually. He un-pried Soul's hands and held them. It was over just as soon as it had started. Soul was exhausted, yet embarrassment still pooled in his chest, its red hot fingers creeping up his neck. It was so not cool. Soul tried to stop a sheepish look from sliding across his face, and forced himself to meet Kid's eyes a awkwardly impassive gaze the most he could manage, 'thanks'

Of course Kid immedietly started laughing and then the red really did start to show, 'You're not supposed to laugh'

Between gulps of air Kid managed ' Well…. Well to think you would be the one having an embarrassing panic attack…" He started to cough, trying to cover his blunder, suddenly realizing it probably wasn't a good idea to laugh at your emotionally damaged friend. But it was 2 in the morning and both students were more than a little frazzled so when Soul cracked a smile Kid started to laugh again, and pretty soon Soul actually chuckled, which surprised both of the boys into sobriety.

"Again, thanks Kid."

Kid smiled and handed him some disinfectant from who knows where, hinting at the cuts on Soul's palms. "Good job with the Kishin today"

Soul smiled back, his nerves quite frayed, and his mind too tired to process more than the basic emotions, but he could feel pride welling up inside of him. It was a strange feeling. Not one he had seen for a long time. It was something he hadn't expected to miss so much, it was something he had always reserved for her.

It was the first time he had ever considered whether she was proud of him. His friends had always talked to him about Maka looking down on them, and it had comforted him to some degree, but if she wasn't here then what did it matter really. Suddenly he looked up, wondering. What if? After that he slept for real. A dreamless sleep, the best kind.


	6. I expected better from you Soul

Maka woke with a start and banged her head on the table above her. Cursing she crawled out of her make shift bed and turned to face the witch who was standing in the corner. "Have good dreams?" She smiled. It was completely wholesome, sweet even.

"They were lovely" She collapsed into the chair by the table. Rolling her neck and shoulders she turned to face her interrogator.

"Tsk, tsk. Don't lie to me Maka." Internally she flinched, though the smile was still plastered in place. She needed to get out of here, seeing Soul again… This place seemed darker than before.

Lilith was the witch of big cats as far as Maka could tell. She was shorter than Maka which was saying quite a lot, wore ridiculous shoes to make up for it though. She had a fur stole wrapped around her shoulders that twitched as she moved.

She sat one the other side of the table, pulling off her shoes and tucking her feet underneath her.  
"Maka" She drew out the syllable, the smile still on her face, "Do you remember what day today is?"

"Our anniversary?" She tried, her tone clearly mocking.

"Oh good so you do remember! It is our two year anniversary. Did you know that is the longest we have ever kept a prisoner?" Maka could feel herself starting to sweat, though she had known that it could only end this way… she couldn't. Despite her best efforts she could feel her face twist into a scowl.

"You gonna throw me a party or something?"

The witch cackled. "You always were my favorite toy, it truly is wonder that you haven't broken even after my best efforts." She looked over Maka's head her eyes turning distant as she remembered all the good times the two had shared together. "Well the boss says that it's time we stopped wasting time. Says we need to get some more toys."

Maka stood up, towering over Lilith she leered down, "Don't you dare touch any of them"

Lilith moved swiftly as well, wrapping the stole around Maka's neck she purred in her ear, "Don't fight, not now, I can't waste my last chance now. Don't worry my kitten; we'll have plenty of time to play later, a gift farewell if you will." She gave her slight kiss on her cheek, motherly, affectionate. "I really will miss you Maka"

With that Lilith left, swinging her stole in one hand. She left Maka reeling, Soul's words echoing around the room. She waited for emotion to choke her, but the moment passed. "Damn all you witches and your absurd sexuality." She wondered if these were really the last words that she wanted to leave. No, she decided quickly, no they weren't.

Shibusen stood off in the distance, the skull facade a foreboding image as he stepped he knocked on the door. It was a tenuous relationship that had been reached in the past years, but it still made him nervous coming here for their monthly meetings. Soul pulled at his collar, in what he thought was a casual manner, quickly deciding that cool guys didn't get anxious.

The door opened quickly and it was he jumped slightly. "I saw that Soul Eater."

"Saw what?" he asked nonchalantly, discreetly wiping his palms against his pants.

"You coming in or are you just going to stand on my porch like an idiot?"

"Sorry I was just surprised that you actually opened the door, I was kind of hoping you'd died by now."

"Yeah well at least then I wouldn't have to see your face."

Soul patted Spirit Albarn on the shoulder, before pushing past his chair to get into the hallway. Spirit followed him, albeit slowly, and turned into the kitchen. He brought out some crackers and soda, washing a couple of glasses before handing Soul the refreshments. The place was as dusty as it used to be. Before there had always been a woman around to clean it for him, Soul supposed, but now a thick layer of dust lay over everything but the photographs. Spirit had gotten considerably bigger, a soda belly now poking out of the front of his jeans. The two didn't talk, not really, just passed back insults. They both had white hair now.

"You know that day is coming up." Spirit looked at him, his green eyes clouding briefly with grief. Soul stared at his palms; he didn't know how he was supposed to go through this again, perhaps it would get easier with time, but it had only been two years since she'd died.

"Yeah, I know. We're going to go visit her grave, Kid will pick you up in his van around two." The words came surprisingly easy. His friends had briefly talked it over with him, but none of them had been able to dwell on the topic for long, so Soul knew nothing special would be planned.

"Not that day, dammit! Why should we celebrate _that? _Besides, it's not like it'll make any difference, even if none of you idiots believe me, _I_ know she's still alive!" Soul had heard these tangents before, had let himself believe for a little while, but it was hard to hear the depressing ramblings as 100 different Makas looked down on him from the walls. Hard to believe that someone was effected more by her absence then him.

Soul just nodded, as much as he wanted to erupt at the old man, that wouldn't be a cool thing to do. So he just nodded, as his serrated teeth slowly sawed through the cheek that he was biting.

"Why won't any of you listen to me! She's out there alone and none of you will go and get her! I expected better from you Soul, aren't you her partner why aren't you looking for her! I would do it myself if it weren't for this damn chair…. " Spirits curled his fists together and slammed them on his legs. Soul could taste blood.

"I should never have believed, not even for a second. It's all my fault that she's stuck now, all my fault… If it wasn't for this chair… wasn't for those pills…" his voice abruptly broke, and he couldn't continue. Spirit didn't look at him, didn't notice as Soul got up and headed for the door. he called Stein as soon as he was outdoors, and waited on the porch until the doctor came. By now the bleeding had stopped, but the metallic aftertaste remained.

Stein came back out again soon after, lighting up a cigarette as soon as he closed the door behind him. "He's fine, just had a minor break down, by the time I'd left he was already saying bad things about you." Soul could only nod in response. "There was one thing though… he said he was talking about Maka's birthday, if you know what that means?"

"Yeah… I do. Thanks." Soul's mouth had gone dry. He'd forgotten his partner's birthday.


	7. Happy Birthday Maka

Soul didn't know why he had blocked it out; at the time it had seemed pretty routine. It was the day before a mission, so they were lucky enough to get a day off and the gang had gone out that night. It had been fun; there was cake, BlackStar made a fool of himself as expected. And Maka had received a bunch of presents that she would never use.

It had been the last night they had spent together, the last night before she'd died.

Soul turned over in bed, he wondered if he'd be able to sleep that night. It was supposed to be tomorrow. She would have turned 17. The clock was clearly visible in the dark, the lit up display the only source of light in the room as it was hard to sleep with that perverted moon staring at you. It read 12:04. It was already her birthday.

He whispered it under his breath, feeling ridiculous even as the words left his mouth, but he still hoped she heard them, hoped he knew that he remembered her. And for the first time in a long time he hoped that he would dream of her. That was of course if he could fall asleep.

Maka hauled herself to a sitting position. She leaned her head against the familiar cell wall. She had come to know these four corners like the back of her hand. And a part of her still balked at the idea of leaving. Perhaps it would be better to just wait here and die. She hated that part of herself, the coward. So she tended to ignore it.

"Hey Blondie, ready for your round in the cage?" Maka's least favorite person smiled at her through the small barred window on her cell. "The lioness wants one last go at you before we…" she made a slicing gesture with her finger, "But she said it was only fair to let you have your last match before she started cutting things off. Personally I was hoping we could let my dogs do it, I know they would love that." Her smile made Maka shiver, which only served to please the guard further.

As soon as Maka's hands were secure behind her back the two set off down the long hallway. They ended up in a caged off clearing in a forest. Other guards milled about the edges, chatting together and laughing. Prisoners lined one wall, their hands chained to each other, and Maka was soon placed in the lineup.

The bitch stepped out into the center of a small dirt ring drawn into the middle of the area. "Ladies welcome to the last match of our reigning champion!" A cheer went up through the crowd. It took a full minute for it to die down far enough for the bitch to continue talking. "And we have an extra special treat for you today, another prisoner on death row!" She gestured over to the lineup and a man was shoved forward, nearly taking everyone else with him as they were all attached at the wrist. She knew him vaguely, as she knew all the inmates. There were only about 30 of them total, it was small for a prison, especially given the number of guards. But there weren't that many Shibusen students to begin with, particularly not meister or weapons, and all of those in the EAT class had been told from the beginning capture usually meant death. Maka had just been unlucky. Of the 30 most were simply analysts or other Shibusen personnel who provide small bits of information given the right circumstances, the other few were family members of higher ups or other who worked against the witches. With the exception of Maka, no meisters or weapons were currently captured. In her time here only one weapon had ever been captured alive, and he had been a member of the NOT class and had soon died from extreme torture. He'd been younger than her at the time.

The witched in the arena were all cheering loudly, and Maka took the moment to quickly whisper something in the ear of the person next to her. He stared at her surprised, but his expression quickly turned grim. He clearly doubted her ability but he gave her the slightest nod anyways. Maka gave him a friendly smile in return, it was the only way she could thank him.

Maka and the other man were soon facing each other in the arena. The bitch stood to one side acting as the enouncer and just generally riling the crowd up as they prepared for their first death match in a long time. Maka stretched her arms and legs, relishing being in such an open space without being cuffed to anything. There was a time when she couldn't have fought without her weapon, but that had been two years ago, and there was only one way she was getting out of here alive, winning.

"Ready fighters? Well too bad, start!"

The man barreled forward, trusting his strength and clear height advantage over Maka, but it was a simple matter to just side step him, giving him a good kick to the back before dancing over to the other side of the ring. The fence glinted tauntingly in the corner of her eye, but she knew she only had one chance at this which meant biding her time. The man met her in the middle of the ring, swinging his fists at her, desperation making them stronger than she was used to her. Fatigue was already starting to get to her body, but in a strange way she was used to it and accepted it, and finally ignored it, instead choosing to deliver a swift set of punches to the man's chest and upper body. She could see that his left arm had gone numb, though he still held the right protectively in front of his face. The sun was hot on her back, and distantly she wondered when she had last eaten, though two hard punches to her gut and one to her jaw was enough to make her start concentrating. The taste of blood in her mouth woke her up and she lashed out quickly with her left hand punching the man square on the nose before kicking out with her right leg, hitting him in the ribs. He stumbled to the side and fell, looking up at Maka sadly as she charged toward him. Just behind him the fence glinted in the sunlight, and a stunned silence filled the air as she leapt off the waiting shoulder. She was up and over the fence before anyone had enough sense to start calling for help.

Guards only patrolled inside the encampment, she knew that, as the Soul protect was only big enough to encircle the walls. So as soon as her feet touched the ground her chest was filled with a piercing sensation, her perception came back and her Soul stretched its wings. And suddenly she could feel something that she hadn't been able to feel for two years, that bond that connected him to her at all times, the unbreakable bond of weapon and meister, like and internal compass that always pointed to one person. She could feel Soul, he was alive.


	8. I'm sorry Soul

The day was unusually bright. Soul supposed that's the way it was with special occasions, the weather had to be extreme in some sense or else it would seem as though the very earth didn't care about what had happened. Everyone was gathered around her headstone, the cemetery was small and quaint, just on the outskirts of the city. Last year there had been more people, but now it was just a small gathering. Soul hadn't really stopped wearing black since she'd died, but today he was wearing a suit, for whatever reason she'd always liked it when he'd gotten dressed up.

The friends milled about the grave, talking between to themselves and her. Soul was quiet, but no more so than usual. He didn't know if it was the weather, but everything felt very surreal. He couldn't concentrate on anything. His friends were too distraught at that particular moment to notice, but Soul could feel himself losing touch. He couldn't quite deal with it today, couldn't think about her death and not beat himself up. He counted to 100. And then counted back from 100. The sun laughed maniacally above, and Soul stared into it until his eyes welled with tears.

'Breathe Soul Eater' the air tasted sweet, but was suddenly caught in is lungs. He couldn't move, couldn't breathe, he could feel a slight tug on his Soul. A faint pulling in one direction. It had annoyed him at first, but he had come to cherish the connection as it meant he could always find her when she was in danger. He had never expected it to snap so easily

But it was back, though faint and tenuous he could feel her, he didn't know what to think, how to react. Until it hit him, "She's alive."

"Did you say something Soul?" Tsubaki smiled at him politely, turning to look at him.

"She's alive, Maka's alive!" Her friendly look was quickly replaced by shock, and then hurt

"I'm sorry Soul?"

"Maka, I can feel her, she's alive."

"Soul…. Please, not today" Tsubaki quickly turned away, her face crumpling

"Come on man, not cool" BlackStar said comforting his weapon

"No guys, you don't understand, she's really alive, I can feel her." Soul gestured at his chest, his face aching with a smile that was quickly fading as he looked at all the guarded expressions around him.

"Soul…. It's not unusual… I mean, it was only two years ago…" Kid floundered, "I'm sorry Soul, perhaps it wasn't a good idea to take you out on that mission after all."

Soul looked at the people around him, clutching a hand protectively over his chest. His eyes suddenly rested on the false headstone in front of him. Why couldn't they believe him, they were wasting his time! He kicked the stupid thing, causing Tsubaki to cry out, before running off after his motorcycle. He couldn't move fast enough, and even the few seconds it took for him to start his bike were agonizing. He could still feel her, thank god he could still feel her.

Soul could see kid in one of his mirrors, chasing after him on his skateboard. Assuming he didn't get in his way, then the little shinigami could follow him all the way to Maka if he wanted.

He was going to see Maka, Soul felt nothing but joy at this statement, his brain so overwhelmed with shock that it only had one motive. To get to her, to finally save her. Soul was going to be with Maka again.

Maka keeled over, her brain couldn't process it. She heard shouting behind her as all the witches rushed to the fence, a few quickly preparing spells to re capture her, or casting soul protect on themselves so they would be able to start chase. Instinct eventually took over and Maka began to run, the forest providing ample cover for her. She had been locked away for two years, and though she had always been proud of her stamina, it was nothing to boast of now. Maka ran propelled by adrenaline, and then she ran on sheer willpower alone, forest streaked past her in a green blur until the world narrowed to the sound of her breathing and her feet connecting with the ground. She counted out a hundred footsteps, and then she start again, telling herself over and over to just make it to the next one hundred, that if she could do that then she would make it.

She realized later that she was using her Soul as a compass, pointing her towards home. But at the moment she thought nothing until the moment she collapsed. Her heart was pounding in her ears and she hoped absentmindedly that it wouldn't burst. She told herself to be quiet, but all she could feel was pain, her arms burned and her feet throbbed. The world twirled around her. She could feel twin trails being cut across her cheeks as tears leaked out of her eyes, memories mixed with the world around her as she swirled towards oblivion. Some of the prison, some of him.

Soul was alive, and he hadn't come for her.


	9. what did they do to her?

If you stare at a screen for long enough then eventually the words will blend together, things will shift into swirls as the white of that blank page begins to revert to its original pixels, color streaming from every corner. White is not nothing. It is not the deep darkness of space; it is the opposite, a world of everything, where each bit of existence has been carefully measured out into a new color that is simply perfect.

So on that day, when Maka collapsed, and white filled her vision, and she could do nothing but marvel at the beauty of this white canvas. Distantly she could feel the grass underneath her, the wind gentle and cool. Yet all she could see was oblivion.

Kid had followed him silently for the next day as Soul sped across the USA, not stopping for anything other than gas. He had not map, but he still knew exactly where to go, each small detour frustrating him further as he cut around cities and lakes, speeding on and on towards Maka. He would finally save her. He would finally have her back, everything could return to before. He wasn't a failure as a weapon.

That moment when he saw her, lying just outside a forest, face down on the grass his breath stopped. There she was. She was actually here. He gripped his chest feeling his internal strings twisting at the sight of her. But she wasn't moving. Kid was already by her side, gaping at Soul as he stared at the beautiful blond girl in his arms. He could feel himself breathing, each breath tearing through his lungs painfully. There she was. But she wasn't moving.

"Maka" he called out, his voice coming out strangled, he jumped off his bike, it crashing loudly behind him. He ran to her side, stopping just short of touching her. Kid had a firm grip on her, carrying hr bridal style. Her blond hair, now more brown was shorn short, but wisps of it still floated about her head. Her clothes were torn, and now that he looked, he could see that cuts and scars littered her body. Another noise left his mouth; his teeth clenched trying to block it out, "Maka."

Her eyes fluttered and his heart stopped. Those same green eyes. "Soul?" Then they both collapsed.

Kid cursed as he stared in shock at his friend that he had always presumed was dead, and the other idiot who was now face down in the dirt. Liz and Patty both transformed back from their weapon forms, staring back and forth between him and the girl who lay asleep in his arms. "What did they do to her Kid?" Liz asked softly, the question creating a silence that seemed to span centuries as they looked at the state their friend was in. "It has been two years." He could see tears leaking out of her eyes, and Patty comforted her sister gently. Someone would have to pay for this.

The witches looked on from a distance, their soul protect spells carefully in place. They looked at each other and smiled, the ominous nature of the gesture making some of them laugh silently. Like story book villains they stole into the night, retreating back to their compound. Meister and Weapon were finally reunited. "I wonder if they're prepared for what will happen next?"


	10. We missed you Maka

Maka woke up in a bed. It was soft and uncomfortably comfortable, and she would have started to freak out if she hadn't been so annoyed by the beating of her heart on the monitor beside her. She wondered if this was some sort of sick experiment, but quickly realized there was no one else in the room, and she was free to leave the bed. Where the hell was she?

She was wearing one of those typical hospital gowns that came down to your knees, but was open in the back. She stopped just short of pulling off the needles and cuffs, settling for observing her surroundings first. It looked like any other hospital room, a folding bed next to a whole bunch of medical equipment that she could not understand. The door had a small window on it and she could see into a corridor that also looked suspiciously hospital like, all white tile and walls. And then she saw it, the window in the corner. Immediately Maka jumped out of bed, ripping off anything that was keeping her there, throwing a blanket over her shoulders she opened it, marveling when she realized she was only on the second floor. The sun was just setting and the wind was cool as it blew over her. She could see a city in the distance, it was a view that she had always loved, though she was more used to seeing it from the other side. The sun was behind the hospital and it shone forebodingly on Shibusen as she stared mouth open at everything before her.

Her knees were weak to begin with, but she collapsed once again, the window frame the only thing keeping her from falling out. The door burst open behind her though Maka was too shaken to do more than flinch. Where the hell was she?

"Maka?" His voice was gruff, as shaken as she felt. She could hear the hesitant footsteps behind her, could hear his unsteady breathing, "Maka?" He placed a hand on her shoulder, and she flinched. Soul took a step back, "Maka?" She could feel herself hyperventilating, and she pulled the blanket tight around her shoulders. He was right behind her, half crouched half standing, hands fluttering about her, "Maka?" She turned to look at him quickly, and Soul nearly fell over in shock. Her jaw was clenched, her knuckles white, they were both holding their breath. Her mouth gaped, and they both floundered for a moment. He didn't know what to do; she was here in front of her. Like so many times in his dreams. He felt his chest, trying to feel with his hands the line that he knew was connecting the two of them. She brought her hands up to her own and nodded. They were really together again.

Maka could feel something inside her break, she was back! She was home? She couldn't quite deal with it, she looked away from Soul, her breath suddenly coming short and fast, she couldn't look at him anymore, but all that was in the distance was Shibusen. She didn't know what to do, was there something she was supposed to do? The blanket started to tear as she tried to pull it tighter around her. She couldn't breathe, she couldn't breathe. Soul stared shocked as his meister sat on the floor in front of him. He stood frozen as she gasped for breathe. She looked up at him for a second, tears leaking from her eyes, and he leaned forward, slowly trying to grab her, trying to force her to calm down, "Maka its okay, it's okay, you're back home now! It's okay!"

She could feel herself screaming, the sound tearing her soul. It echoed through the room, rushing out the window and into the night. People flooded into the room, though Maka couldn't see them. All she could see was red, blood and death, panic and red eyes that filled her vision and screamed at her to be better. "Please Maka."

Soul was pulled off and Stein subdued Maka, grabbing her hands while Blackstar held her down. "I can't breathe, I can't breathe, stop, stop, this isn't real. This _can't _be real." Everything slowed, and she stopped struggling. They let go of her cautiously, Stein pulling Blackstar away gently as they all watched Maka tremble. "Go away, please go away." Her voice was raw. Her body tense, everything shaking. She could feel them staring at her, and despite herself she loathed the pity in their eyes. Except for his. Except for the red eyes that stared at her from the opposite corner, eyes filled with hurt, shock, embarrassment. All of which was quickly covered with cool. He stared at her with nothing. He was cool.

"Holy hell Soul, what did you do to her." Silence trickled in as everyone stared at Maka. Tsubaki gave him a look which could wither flowers, and suddenly Maka was laughing. It wasn't a healthy laugh, it was desperate and maniacal, it had a certain edge of insanity that was brought upon by her panic attack. Everyone stared on in silence for a moment, before Patty joined in, not quite reading the moment. But slowly one by one everyone was laughing, except for Stein who just grinned and lit a cigarette. They looked crazy, they were crazy, but laughing and crying aren't that different, screaming and roaring with the hilarity of the moment, offer the same sort of release. When things finally did die down, they all stared at one another. The tension was gone for the moment, but was slowly building up again as they traded glances. What were they supposed to do?

"We missed you Maka." Soul stepped forward hesitantly. They were all unsure. Nothing felt real in that moment, a part of her screamed that this couldn't be happening. Yet when she clenched her fist all she could feel was pain. She stood up and nodded. Glancing at the town outside that was now lit cheerily for the night.

Patty broke first and rushed her, Maka nearly screamed again before being smothered by an enormous pair of knockers. The girl didn't say anything, just hugged her, but it felt nice as the rest of them crowded in until she was surrounded. She didn't relax, but it still felt nice. Soul looked at her over Blackstar's head, smiling uncertainly, his serrated teeth not the least bit comforting. It truly felt surreal, clearly this wasn't real. But courage had always been her specialty, not brains though she would never admit it. So she breathed in deep, unintentionally taking in the scent of her friends who now all towered over her. She breathed out, could she be home now? Could it be over?


	11. go ahead Maka

Maka sat outside the death room, staring at her hands. They were covered in the familiar white of her gloves, given to her by an over eager Soul who even now was a constant presence. He hovered over her shoulder, not saying anything yet somehow obtrusive nonetheless. The last few days had been surreal. She had been going to school for the past few weeks, and after quite a few tearful hugs, things seemed… normal. It was weird how quickly things had reverted back to the way they had been, how easily it had been to fall back into step with her everyday life. She could almost write off the whole experience as a reoccurring nightmare, except for those stolen glances, those hushed whispers, and Soul, who had never been this protective before she had been….. kidnapped.

She breathed out deeply and out of the corner of her eye she could see Soul flutter nervously for a moment. He seemed more fragile than she did flickering between protectiveness and joy, his smile so wide it seemed to split his face apart.

The doors to the death room opened and Stein beckoned the two of them inside. In her mind Maka had known that she would have to do this eventually, but like everything else she had tried not to dwell on it. The air was clean and cool in the death room, and a breeze blew from nowhere. The other spartoi members were in class so it was only Stein, Lord death, herself, and Soul. Somehow it still seemed like too many people.

"it's good to see you back Maka." Her mouth was dry. She licked her lips and tried to clear her throat. She couldn't understand it herself. Why am I getting nervous?

"You have been gone for two years Maka. The best we can figure is that the witches kept you in some camp in the woods where Soul found you. We sent some students to do some reconnaissance, yet we found nothing." Despite herself Maka could feel herself becoming slightly sick. "I know that this must be tough for you. But we need you to tell us what happened."

The words hung in the sir for a brief moment, and Maka opened her mouth to speak. Closed it, licked her lips, opened her mouth again. Nothing. She looked briefly in turn at Stein, then shinigami sama, hoping for something to clear her thoughts. Her eyes rested on Soul. He looked pensive, his jaw clenched, hands placed carefully in his pockets. Even after all this time, he had never gotten any better at hiding his anger, yet his face plainly spoke of curiosity alongside it. "I don't want to do it in front of Soul."

Silence, then awkwardness, and Soul's fury overshone his pain, "But we're partners, right." Once again Maka was at a loss for words. However Stein, with his clinical nature merely adjusted his glasses and ushered Soul out, whom only followed meekly.

The doors shut loudly behind him, only intensifying the silence.

"okay then….. go ahead Maka"

The apartment was quite when the two of them arrived home. Maka rode on the back of Soul's motorcycle, just like always. And Soul cooked dinner since today was a Wednesday, just like always. Maka was too exhausted to notice the silence, so it was a short dinner filled with one sided anger.

"Thanks for the dinner Soul." She put her dish in the sink, vowing to wash it tomorrow. She mused over that a little; everything really was back to normal already. Her small smile must have snapped something in Soul for at that moment he rose sharply from the table. His eyes were flashing dangerously, and she could see his jaw muscle twitch.

He seemed to debate with himself for a moment, try to relax a bit, calm himself down, she stayed frozen for each one of his ten deep breaths. "Why would you do that to me Maka?"

She knew the question was supposed to be cutting, yet she could only feel a distant distaste towards it, she could feel an argument coming on (Just like always) yet she sensed she didn't want to actually participate in this one. "I'm sorry about leaving you behind Soul, but it was the only way I could get through the story."

"Maka… Look I know you went through a lot, but we're partners, you have to trust me, you do trust me I know it. We're partners."

"of course we are Soul. We're partners, we've always been partners."  
"Then why won't you let me in? You never talk about what happened, you never answer any of my questions, how can you act like nothing happened?"

Maka flinched; somehow he was dragging her into this argument. "I'm tired Soul I'm going to bed." She tried to turn but he grabbed her shoulders. He wasn't doing it with any particular strength, but the motion started the flashbacks.

"No, you don't get to leave Maka, you don't get to leave yet. Do you know how hard it was, living without you, do you realize how important you are to me? I was, things were really bad for a really long time Maka." His drew his hands in, wrapping them tightly around his chest, "And now you're back, yet you are acting so uncool, not acting like partners….. You're finally back but we aren't partners."

She could feel the convulsions starting; she bit her cheek, the warm taste of blood calming her a little. But the flashbacks kept coming, and suddenly she remembered how she had felt when those witches had told her Soul was dead. There was shock, and horror, despair, yet she believed it, didn't doubt it for a second. Selfishly she had hoped he was dead, "If I was so important then why did you never come back for me?" the words were calm, soft, yet the cut through him, fast and deep. She could see it in his eyes, see that same look of guilt and betrayal reflected back at her.

She escaped while she could, not wanting to break down in front of him. Words came to her muffled through the door, and that's when the tremors started to get worse.

"I thought you were dead."


	12. Your turn

It was midnight. Maka stared at the clock in anger, hours ago silence had settled on the city, yet still she was unable to sleep. She knew why, yet once again she pushed it to the far reaches of her sub conscious not wanting to provoke another attack. So far she had avoided seeing any of the psychiatrists that the school had recommended. She couldn't imagine telling her story to a complete stranger and just personally she didn't really believe psychology was a true science. She rubbed her eyes and looked at the clock again. 12:02.

Maka groaned, the flashing red display taunting her with its brightness. She wouldn't be getting any sleep tonight. She knew that much at least. She dressed quickly and quietly, slightly unnerved by how well she knew the layout of this room. Half the time it felt like someone else's, the other half she knew it could only be hers. She took one of the books off the shelf, her shelf, staring at the cover. It was an older one, given to her by her Mama. She had no problem with falling back in step with this old hobby, she really had missed her books.

Maka crept out the door, and promptly tripped. Loudly.

Soul jumped up from his place on the floor, swinging his scythe blade around dramatically, "Maka!" He was instantly alert and searching for the mysterious intruder who had somehow gotten into their apartment.

"What the hell are you doing?" she could not fathom why she had had to launch herself to the ground to avoid the haphazard swinging of her roommate.

"Maka? What were _you_ doing?" He helped her up, de transforming his hand and helping her off the ground.

"Shut up Soul, I asked you first, what the hell is all this?" She gestured angrily at the sleeping bag placed outside her door.

"Uhhh… right. Umm… well" He rubbed his head distractedly and Maka couldn't help but be amused by how embarrassed he looked. "I was just guarding your door alright. If something happened to you again…. I just…. I wouldn't be able to live with myself. Your turn."

"I just… I jus couldn't sleep, I was going to go out for some air…. Wait, have you been doing this the whole time?" he gave her a curt nod without looking her in the eye.

Silence grew between them.

"I.. I'm sorry Soul." Maka fiddled with her hands. "What I said to you earlier it…. Wasn't cool" she shot him a brief smile. "For a long time I thought you were… dead. It's kind of hard to deal with the fact that you're alive."

"You're telling me" This time a real smile twisted her face. "Maka… will you tell me.. what actually happened to you? Please."

"I can't Soul, it's just hard."

"please Maka, I have to know, I have to know what they did to you. I have to know what I caused."

"Soul…"

"Please Maka… please."

"Maka chop!" a book came out from under her jacket and cracked soul across the skull. To say Soul was surprised would be an understatement, for his mind couldn't even register the pain as his jaw hit hardwood flooring. "That's for being an idiot Soul" maka flipped her book contentedly, satisfied in a way she hadn't been for two years. "You and I both know that you had nothing to do with what happened to me, and I'm sorry I ever accused you of it." Maka sat down on the floor next to him.

"Damn woman , you think you could have told me that without giving me brain damage?"

"Shut up or I won't tell you what happened." Soul stared at her in shock for a second, before righting himself and leaning against the wall next to her, bringing his blanket with him. Maka accepted the comfort without a word.

She started her story with a deep breathe.


	13. Maka?

It was different telling it to him. The pain came back with more force than a memory. And it was harder for her to come back afterwards. He held her for a little while, emotions travelling between their souls as a painful reminder that it was over. She felt safe that night. For the first time since coming back she felt safe enough to cry, not hysterical crying like she'd done at the hospital, but just allowing the dam to break. Her expression didn't change, but the tears made a small wet splotch on his shoulder, and though he didn't let his mask slip, his grip on her remained firm and gentle. And with the moon keeping watch above them, the darkness holding onto their secrets, and their souls reminding them that they were both finally home, meister and weapon talked for the first time since she Maka had returned.

And that was how Maka found out about her father.

Soul glanced nervously from Maka to the door in front of them. Lack of sleep ha left them both exhausted and the sudden tension had left him absolutely shattered. Stein was with them, having been the one to tell Spirit in that his daughter was alive in the first place. But something was off about the doctor…

The door began to creep open slowly and Maka suddenly reached out for his hands, her fingers gripping painfully despite the stoic expression on her face. Stein noticed the gesture but merely hummed and twisted his screw deeper into his skull. Spirit sat there in front of them, his wheelchair making Maka cringe briefly before she mastered her expression again.

"Maka?" The question floated between the two, and Soul watched, tensed helplessly against the unknown.

Maka swallowed and relaxed her grip on his hand without letting go. "Papa… papa, your legs…" Her voice was soft, carrying the lilting note of guilt as she stared down at her father.

But Spirit was still gaping at his daughter, "Maka. Maka, I knew you were alive; all this time I knew you were alive. I'm so sorry I couldn't help you. I'm so sorry." Tears leaked from his eyes, and he collapsed into his hands, his body crumpling. Maka stood helpless in front of her father as he cried.

"I'm sorry to. I thought you had died. I didn't believe in you like you did me. I'm sorry, I… sorry." Maka comforted her father, not knowing what else to do. They left soon after that, leaving Spirit with Stein. " I didn't know what to do Soul, was that my father? Is that what I've done to him? Have I done that to you to?"

He didn't know how to answer that question. A simple no did not suit the situation, yet it was all that he could say. So he didn't speak, he shook his head. And the emotions that travelled between their Souls soothed each other, yet couldn't bury the guilt that stood between them. I'm sorry never seemed like more of a pathetic excuse to Soul than then.


	14. She's changed

Soul sat with his therapist in that awfully cold room, feeling as uncomfortable as ever. He'd been able to escape the past couple of weeks because of Maka's return, but apparently it was all the more reason to start going again. He talked a bit, though rarely more than a few words, occasionally a sentence when asked to explain more complex feelings. He didn't lie though, that would be uncool.

Soul felt a growing seed of impatience. He wanted to be back with Maka who had somehow been able to avoid all this drama. He didn't like being away from her. Soul couldn't even begin to think what might happen if he wasn't there and something happened again… Not that it did much help before.

The guilt crept in again, clogging his thoughts, trapping him in that endless pit of apologies, but it receded with each breath he took. No reason to go there now. It was a type of madness that he would have to fight for the rest of his life or else he'd be useless to Maka… Before he could think that he would have to get back to her side first.

He stifled a sigh in fear that he would have to stay here even longer to analyze the mindless action.

"So do you think it might be a good idea?"

The question jerked him out of his subconscious, but cool guys listened so he merely nodded a consent figuring it was a 50/50 chance that he could get this right.

"That's good", he smiled, perhaps he had chosen wrong. "I just figured this type of competition would be good for you, it would give her the chance to prove that she can deal with things without you. I'm not sure how heavily traumatized she is from what she's been through.

Though judging from your report she should be able to do this much. It's not exactly conventional, but nothing about Shibusen really is."

The therapist chuckled twirling his own purple hair. Now Soul had a really bad only got worse when he agreed to the idea.

The competition was a simple affair, not widely broadcasted and available only to members of spartoi, to which had grown a bit in Maka's absence. The rules were simple, nothing that could leave anyone permanently damaged, if you tap out or can't get up then you lose. Winner also gets bragging rights over all the other members.

Soul didn't think it was cool not to enter, but he couldn't exactly fight Maka either so he chose for there not to be the option. Instead he sat brooding on the sideline. Blackstar's catcalls and proclamations of god hood echoed through the gymnasium as the fighters prepared themselves.

Maka's first match was against a new member. She had never been that good at fighting on her own, but she should still be able to beat this kid. Her second match was with Liz. That one was harder to call. "Don't worry Soul, I'm not as bad as I used to be, I've had a lot of time to practice."

An awkward smile graced her face as Maka walked up to him punching him lightly on the shoulder. "Though I am surprised that Mr. Cool didn't jump at the opportunity to show off his manliness."

"Well there was no way I was going to beat Blackstar, and losing isn't that cool" She smiled for real that time, throwing him her towel before asking for good luck. "Good luck Maka, and the way I remember it, you'll need it."

She wouldn't need it, unless she was armed with a book Soul reminded himself as he woke up from his new place on the floor. Looking at the ring he could see that Maka had won her first match, and her second. She was sitting on a bench apologizing to a Liz with a bleeding nose. There wasn't a scratch on her.

Soul patiently kept his mouth shut up until the third match, not wishing to miss it. From his place on the sidelines he could see the wary looks that people were giving her as she walked past them towards the ring. Kirito stood on the other side, a confident smile plastered over his face.

"You may have gotten lucky with Liz, but you luck ain't gonna be enough to beat me." He gestured at his chest emphatically.

Maka stepped silently into the ring, her whole body relaxed, not saying anything, no emotion showing. Kirito made the first move, but Maka easily dodged it, her speed far outmatching his. It went on like this for the first minute, his fists blurred but Maka moved between them like a leaf on the wind.

Finally she moved, darting a leg out and tripping the other meister who quickly regained his balance behind her. She dodged another blow sending out a quick flurry of her own towards his abdomen, all of which were blocked. She darted back to the edge of the ring and someone shouted, "Come on, hurry up, hit her!" Maka flinched as this was shouted.

Quickly she moved underneath one of Kirito's punches and kicked him the abdomen sending him backwards. She then pounced on his prone form and locked his head in her arms. Just before she could complete the hold he grabbed onto her back and flung her over his shoulder.

She sailed through the air, landing on her back before jumping to her feet, narrowly dodging another flurry of punches. Kirito advanced towards continuously throwing out punch after punch. Finally one found their mark and Maka sailed through the air, this time landing on her feet.

The assault continued, and Maka could no longer dodge every punch, yet each time he sent her sailing through the air she stood up once more and began to fight again. Soul could taste blood as his serrated teeth cut through his lip.

Kid's voice cut out through the crowds yelling, the clock was approaching the eight minute mark, "Whoever has the most punches after eight minutes and eight seconds, or can achieve a knockout, is the winner."

Maka seemed to fizzle for a moment, pausing in time as another of Kirito's punched headed for her. He could feel the beat of their bond thrumming in his chest, erratic and loud.

Maka darted forward suddenly, deflecting the punch away from her face and slamming a fist into his chest, quickly followed by an uppercut to his jaw. She crouched quickly, kicking straight up and sending the other meister flying across the stage. He began to get up but Maka had already crossed to him, kicking him once in the side as she began to lay on a flurry of punches.

Soul dragged her off, her panting and his own soft words the only sound in the gym. People began to wake up once again, including Maka who leaned against him for a moment before standing again. And Tsubaki had the good sense to start treating Kirito's wounds.

"Sorry everyone… Guess I'm just used to different rules" The madness had left her eyes, and her soul had calmed down. A thin smile stretched her features as she looked out at the array of expressions before her. Soul put a hand on her shoulder, she shrugged him off before walking out. He could hear her running as soon as the doors closed.

"I knew this was a bad idea." Soul turned towards the doors but someone reached out to stop him.

"Maybe you shouldn't go, I don't think she wants to be around anyone right now." Kid looked at him earnestly.

"Shut up Kid, Maka isn't the type of person to brood alone."

"The one we knew yes, but…she's changed Soul, you've got to be able to see that. After all she's been through it's not really a surprise."

"I said shut up! She hasn't changed, not really, nothing's changed…"

Even as he said it the little demon whispered to him, "That wasn't cool, not when he's trying to help."

His Soul hummed along hers, and he left the gym, his feet pulling away from the pitied looks everyone threw his way. It didn't matter what they thought, she would be there, she always went there when she was sad. He knew where to find his Maka.


	15. But not that much

Fear had blinded her as she ran down the halls, the familiar feeling of isolation and terror driving her towards the library. She hadn't moved consciously, but her body still knew where to go, and before she knew it she was curled up on top of the old wooden bookcase next to the window.

It was dusty and cold, but it was comfortable, still filled with her favourite books and an old quilt that Soul had thrown out a lifetime ago. Nostalgia flared as Maka stroked the hardbound covers, fingers cutting sharp lines through the dust, memories of the triumphs and traumas that she had experienced here every day at the hands of words.

A slight shuffling behind her broke Maka out of her reminiscing. Soul had climbed onto the edge of the bookcase, his weight making the whole thing lean a bit dangerously. "I knew you'd be here" A relieved smile cut his face in two as he dragged himself away from the edge. "You always come here when you're upset, I guess some things never change." He leaned himself against a window, one arm casually thrown over the stack of books built up between the two of them.  
Maka could feel her body tense, and her mouth dry, a dozen faces flashed through her mind mixing with all the past sadness clinging to this place. They floated in the air around her, damp and heavy, but Soul lifted the burden slightly.

That smug look was a bit annoying though.

"I didn't mean to do that. I really didn't mean to." She could feel her expression change, her jaw clench, her eyes narrow. She wasn't sure whether she wanted to scream or curl up into a ball.

"Of course you didn't Maka, we all know that. No one's stupid enough to think you did, you're the nicest person I know. It was probably because of what… happened…" Two years stood between them, emphasized by the unsaid and noticeably awkward moments.

Maka head hurt. She could still feel all those eyes on her as she replayed the moment over and over in her head. Soul had stopped moving, deciding that talking wasn't his strong suit and instead waited for some conformation that she was going to be okay. The pain seemed to grow in the silence, splitting her brain apart and letting the madness show.

Soul reached over and grabbed her hand enveloping her in the quiet of his soul. The movement was so familiar, a reflex brought about by the setting. It was something he'd always done in the past. Her eyes watered as she noticed how big his hands were now. Deep breath.

Perhaps it was the memory that spurred her on, or a last ditch attempt at normalicy, but she gripped back, hard. Maka unclenched her jaw and licked her lips, she could feel the words bubbling up like so many tears, "I think I might have PTSD or something."

The blunt statement surprised a laugh out of Soul, "No shit Sherlock"

Maka smiled back, albeit thinly. "I just… It's just that I'm so used to fighting in a situation where if you lose you die, at that moment he wasn't just an opponent, he was the enemy. If you hadn't been there… I don't know."

Soul squeezed her hand, "Well we're partners remember, I'll always be there to calm you down when you go crazy." He looked over at her pausing to run his finger through his hair. "And you don't fight alone all right." Soul wasn't exactly blushing, but you could tell he wasn't used to all this 'sentimental crap'.

Maka smiled and flicked him on the forehead, " And I thought you weren't into that touchy feely stuff. You sure you don't want to borrow a couple Nicolas Sparks novels, or did you already read them all while I was away."

Now Soul was blushing.


	16. Better late than never

They wanted her to fight again much to Soul's disbelief. Word had spread of the beat-down she had given Kilik and, already a legend in her own right, everyone was convinced that Maka was some kind of Combat Goddess and no one wanted to miss that show.

Black Star had stepped up quite readily, wanting to defend his title of God against this sudden newcomer. "She'll be fine Soul" He had said, displaying that annoying grin of his, "If she resonates with you can keep her under control, I mean you calmed her down before she could kill Kilik right? And its not like she'll even be able to touch me!" It had taken all of Soul's will power not to strangle him in front of all those witnesses, but thankfully living with Maka these past few days had re-educated him in how to keep his cool.

And now they only had a day to prepare for the match. Maka was more flustered than he was, terrified that she would hurt someone, but she accepted the challenge none the less. He wasn't sure if it was the old inferiority complex resurfacing, or just her general stubbornness, but she hadn't let him talk her out of it. And now they only had a day to prepare for the match.

'well it's a good thing my hair's already white' Soul mused to himself. The thought released some of the tension from his shoulders, but he couldn't knock the single though that continued to float around his mind, 'This would be the first time they'd Soul used resonance since…'

Soul and Maka were sitting in front of the tv, neither really watching it, though Soul watched her as she absentmindedly played with her hair, listening to the nervous twitching of her soul.

Suddenly she sat upright. She breathed out the word, softly as though she was afraid of saying it, "Witch." The two bound up off the couch, Maka racing for the door stopping with her hand on the door knob. He could see it across her face, feel it in her soul, but he let the moment pass without saying anything and when she made her decision he was just a step behind.

He grabbed her hand and she squeezed back. Not a second later he was in her arms, a weapon, a partner and the two were flying over the ground, out past the city. A small town sat nestled in the embrace of a small oasis, a paradise for any travelling through the desert. Both weapon and meister could now clearly see the witch hovering above the town, laughing gleefully as she watched her spells wreak havoc from above.

Maka was tense, but she continued forward nonetheless, not stopping even as the witch turned to face them. "Oh Maka dear, so it's true, you did break out, and not a phone call or letter! That's no way to treat your friend of two years!" Maka bristled and Soul held his breath. A decision was coming, an action that would decide everything. He could feel her thoughts and waves of emotion, but underneath it all determination rang true, and though she wouldn't believe him, courage was nestled at her core.

"Are you ready Soul?" The words came out strong.

"You have to ask? That's not cool Maka." A slight smile flitted across her face before she grit her teeth and lept forward crashing into the witch.

Soul transformed back, falling faster as a human than a weapon. Maka threw punch after punch at the witch until she was blasted back by the force of a spell and right into Soul's arms who immediately transformed back again. The two were off sailing just behind the witch and dodging everything she threw back at them. The town's people looked on from below, cheering as the pair closed in. The witch had large wing growing from her back, a tribute to the birds whom she got her powers from. They were beautiful and strong, but not quick enough to avoid Maka swing, and quickly the witch was falling into the desert.

Maka was breathing heavy already, her arms shaking from the force of the blow. Soul brought them down next to the witch, quickly retracting his wings as his meister swung him about, just missing the witch. "What? Scared to play now that someone else's got the knife bird brain?"

"Awww, little girl thinks she's got power enough to play." The witch shook out her feathers and proceeded to pump them back and forth causing large winds to blow across the grounds forcing the two of them backwards. Sand clogged the air and Soul couldn't see anything, though he could still feel the tight grip of his Maka's hand on him. "No air in a vortex girly" The voice somehow cut through the roaring of the wind cleaving through Soul as he tried desperately to see his meister.

He immediately transformed back, pulling Maka into his lap who was gasping for air. Soul himself could feel the pressure in his chest as the wind pulled away the last remnants of oxygen. Maka looked up at him, having fallen to her knees and shook her head.

Soul stared in shock, terror clawing his chest he wouldn't leave her, not again. He could feel panic spreading like madness through his blood. Maka quickly pulled him down, grabbing his face and forcing him to look at her. She stared through his eyes and into his soul. He transformed back.

Maka stood up, holding him tightly in her arms, not wavering even as the winds tried to throw her off her feet. He could feel the heat of her soul as it closed around his, could feel the weariness of her bones, hear the scream of her lungs, and see that courage shine through her eyes.

Maka ran against the wind, swinging Soul behind her and cutting it to shreds. Momentum building she charged forward straight into the startled witch who didn't stand a chance against their soul resonance. Feathers burst into the air as the witch was knocked to one side, blood spilling out of the wound in her side. Maka didn't give her any time to recover came about for a second blow. The witch took to the air, her damaged wings working painfully to keep Maka away from her. She sent back spell after spell, one of witch caught a glancing blow off Maka's left shoulder sending her tumbling through the sky as she clung to Soul. The witch wheeled about and shot off small winds, strong enough to cut.

Maka dodged most, but by the time they had got anywhere near the witch she was covered in cuts and losing blood fast. Soul anxiously watched, doing his job, but not being able to do anything more. The witch pushed Maka back once more, and quickly charged in to finish her off, small knives appearing in her hand. She threw them down the air currents, all of which Maka easily dodged. Though the witch just smiled, foreshadowing the terrible as one immediately caught Maka in the leg from behind. She fell forward, catching herself with one arm and dangling from her injured shoulder as Soul dodged the remaining knives and started a retreat.

"Stop, Soul!"  
"No Maka, You're hurt, your're losing blood, you need to see stein, you have t-"

"Trust me Soul! Just 5 more minutes." He didn't know what he'd do if he regretted these last five minutes, but he slowed enough for her to wing herself back into a standing position and the two charged back towards the witch. The Knives continued to flit around the air, and the meister an weapon worked together to dodge as many as they could, but Soul cursed himself for each small cut that opened on his meister.

The two pursued without attacking, keeping close enough not to cause suspicion but staying as far away as possible. The longer they went on the more drained Maka became and it was starting to show. More knives found their mark, and Soul was doing more and more of the work to keep them aloft and stop Maka from becoming a human pin cushion. They wouldn't be able to keep this up for much longer.

Meister and weapon whirled around the air no time to think, no time to make mistakes. Soul looked up at his meister briefly, watched the blood spill down her arms, watched her cry out as a knife came to meet her. For one second his heart stopped, the deepest dread building up into a scream, the feeling that haunted him at night. He could feel the black blood boiling in his veins, Maka's look of terror frozen in his vision.

And then the knives dropped out of the sky. The pair looked over at the witch, who looked as surprised as them to see and egg sized hole punching through her chest. She plummeted to the ground all the quicker for the weight of those wings, her bones breaking on impact. Kid hovered on his skate board guns outstretched his face calm, if a bit paler than usual.

Relief hadn't hit yet. The air still buzzed with tension, his head still burned with adrenaline, and his heart hadn't stopped pounding. But Maka smiled tiredly, "took you long enough"

Kid smiled thinly, "better late than never" The air snapped with that possibility as the five of them looked down at the now floating soul.

Who knew how long that nervous silence would have lasted, but it was soon broken by his scream as Maka fell backwards into open air. Soul transformed back mid turn, pulling her into his arms and bracing himself for impact only to crash into Kid whose skate board barely managed to slow their descent to a reasonable pace. Liz and Patty ran to Maka as soon as they were all on the ground, and Kid let out a nervous breath, visibly shaken.

Soul kept clutching her to him, trying to stop the blood staining the sand. Her eyes fluttered and she looked up at him, "You think we can postpone tomorrow's contest?"


End file.
